Langley suspect arrested near Fernie after fire and attack on family (with photos and video)

Suspect allegedly attempted to kill wife and children after starting blaze

Firefighters responded to a fully involved house fire on the 19600-block of Wakefield Drive in Langley early Wednesday morning. At least three patients were transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police reports.

Photograph by: Shane MacKichan
, Special to The Sun

METRO VANCOUVER - The hunt for a Langley man accused of setting his family home on fire — with his estranged wife and her two children still in it — ended with him nearly making it to the Alberta border before being cornered by police.

Wanted for breaching a court order to stay away from his wife, Andre Richard, 44, surrendered to police outside Fernie Thursday morning after a standoff that started at about 9:30 a.m. when a motorist noticed Richard driving erratically, according to Langley RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Holly Marks.

Police allege that Richard, who has two outstanding assault charges, set the family home on fire early Wednesday morning and attacked his wife Sonia Cella and her 14-year-old daughter with a hammer, hours after Cella filed divorce proceedings in B.C. Supreme Court.

Both Cella and her daughter were “doing well” Thursday evening after being released from hospital, Marks said.

“His estranged wife and her daughter don’t have to be completely fearful that he’ll show up on their doorstep at any moment,” Marks said.

Langley RCMP serious crime investigators will travel to Cranbrook to take over the investigation. On Thursday afternoon, Marks said investigators were preparing a report to Crown Counsel and she expected charges to be laid before the weekend.

An arrest warrant for breaching a court order was issued Wednesday against Richard, who police say is known to them for previous domestic violence.

The online court database shows Richard was charged Jan. 1, 2009 and Feb. 22, 2014 with assault in Langley. The charges are still before the courts.

Neighbours on Wakefield Drive in Langley awoke at 1 a.m. Wednesday to a terrifying scene — the home owned by Cella and Richard engulfed in flames and the family fleeing to a nearby house. Police are treating the case as an attempted murder investigation.

RCMP allege Richard set the Langley home on fire and then attacked his wife in her bedroom. When their teenage daughter tried to help her mother, she was also attacked. Cella, her daughter and eight-year-old son escaped the residence before it was destroyed in the fire.

While Langley RCMP did not identify the weapon used in the attack, Mission RCMP tweeted that it was a hammer.

A local private school where Richard’s son attends was in lockdown while Richard was at large. Many of the parents were picking their kids up from St. Catherine’s school on Wednesday as a precaution, after the principal sent a letter informing them of the situation.

Firefighters responded to a fully involved house fire on the 19600-block of Wakefield Drive in Langley early Wednesday morning. At least three patients were transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police reports.